Caithness Schools To Get Better Dental Cover
Five schools in Caithness have been selected to receive better dental cover. The schools are being targeted because there are a high percentage of pupils unable to access free dental treatment.
The five Caithness schools are among 12 in the Highlands to be selected; children attending the schools will now get two annual visits from a mobile dental unit, which is run as part of the Childsmile programme.
The schools include Lybster, North School, Pulteneytown, Hillhead and South School.
NHS Highland confirmed that extra cover for the schools after research showed that 37.2 per cent of children under the age of 2 years old were not registered with an NHS dentist. More than 58 per cent of children under five were also found to have dental decay with no way of accessing NHS dental treatment in the Highlands.
Angela Echavarran, child services manager, said that the schools had been targeted because of high levels of deprivation and poor access to NHS dental services.
The mobile unit already tours a number of schools in the Highlands and this service will continue.
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